| Location | Eastern Africa, west of Somalia |
| Geographic coordinates | 8 00 N, 38 00 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| Area | total: 1,104,300 sq km land: 1 million sq km water: 104,300 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 5,925 km border countries (6): Djibouti 342 km, Eritrea 1,033 km, Kenya 867 km, Somalia 1,640 km, South Sudan 1,299 km, Sudan 744 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation |
| Terrain | high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley |
| Elevation extremes | mean elevation: 1,330 m elevation extremes: lowest point: Danakil Depression -125 m highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m |
| Natural resources | small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 36.3% arable land 15.2%; permanent crops 1.1%; permanent pasture 20% forest: 12.2% other: 51.5% (2011 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 2,900 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts volcanism: volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (elev. 613 m), which has caused frequent lava flows in recent years, is the country's most active volcano; Dabbahu became active in 2005, forcing evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Alayta, Dalaffilla, Dallol, Dama Ali, Fentale, Kone, Manda Hararo, and Manda-Inakir |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea |
| Geography - note | landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; Ethiopia is, therefore, the most populous landlocked country in the world; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on July 9, 2017
